Manning’s Laws?

Gov. George Pataki’s office announced he has signed three bills into law today designed to further protect New Yorkers from identify theft.

Ironically, this comes on the same day the Poughkeepsie Journal is reporting former gubernatorial contender/state Assemblyman Pat Manning, R-Hopewell Junction, has finally conceded the primary race to his GOP challenger, Tivoli Mayor Marc Molinaro.

This marks the official end of Manning’s legislative career, as he has no other lines on which to run in the general election.

Manning did not go quietly, saying Molinaro should be “publicly rebuked and privately ashamed” for the fact that Manning’sÂ personal life (he quit the governor’s race soon after it was revealed he had left his wife and was living with another woman) became campaign fodder.

Molinaro responded that he could “appreciate Patrick’s feelings,” but refused to say anything more, saying he didn’t want to “dignify what is a fairly harsh comment.”Â Â

Molinaro’s political consultant Brendan Quinn told meÂ this new development won’t end his calls for investigations into the soon-to-be-former assemblyman’s impersonation of Quinn in an effort to obtain informationÂ on an alleged anti-Manning push-poll. Â Â Â

This practice has an official name – pretexting – and it has become big news in recent weeks as it got Hewlett-Packard execs in big trouble.

The new laws prohibit sale, fraudulent transfer or solicitation of telephone records without consumer consent,Â set safeguards to prevent the release of social security numbers and increase the penalties forÂ those who “intentionally disrupt, steal personal information or plant malicious programs on consumers’ computers without authorization.”Â